Akhenaton, singer and member of the band IAM, released his fifth solo album in November entitled Je suis en vie. The singer has been known for his anti-racism advocacy. In his song Etrangs fruits, a tribute to the “protest song” by Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit, the singer denounces, “zemmourification,” a reference to the polemicist who has used the media to create controversy. The rapper discussed the state of French society and the “fear of Islam.”
“Islam, a subject which is absolutely not taught.” Does France have a problem with Islam? “France is Islamophobic,” said Akhenaton: “Islamo-phobe= someone who is fearful of Islam.” For the IAM singer, this fear dates back to the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
But for the rapper, the response has not been equal to the level of fear. Akhenaton calls out teaching curricula. “Do you think that our universities know the subject of Islam well? The same ones who teach history today?” he asked before adding, “it’s a subject that is absolutely not taught, while 7 million of our fellow citizens” are concerned.
